Under attack from the BJP over the Enforcement Directorate’s allegation that he received Rs 508 crore from under probe Mahadev app promoters, Chief Minister of poll-bound Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday said, the opposition party is scared of him the most and that is why it is defaming him through the central agency.
Talking to reporters in the state capital Raipur, the chief minister said, “The BJP is scared of me the most. That is why they want to defame me by accusing me (through the ED).”
On Friday, evening the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had said that they had intercepted a cash courier Asim Das, who was sent from UAE especially, to deliver a large amount of cash for electioneering expenses of the ruling Congress party in Chhattisgarh.
The ED in an official statement also contended that the arrested person, Das, confessed that Rs 508 crore has so far been paid to the Chhattisgarh chief minister by Mahadev APP Promoters.
However, the Congress questioned the ‘timing’ of the claims made by the ED as it comes days before the polling in Chhattisgarh.
Taking note of the claims, BJP questioned whether it is true that Chhattisgarh Congress leaders received money from Das to meet election expenses in the poll-bound state. Addressing a press briefing at BJP headquarters in the national capital, Union Minister Smriti Irani alleged that the Congress party is contesting the Chhattisgarh elections using hawala operators.
Responding to this, Baghel said that the BJP earlier levelled accusations against Himanta Biswa Sarma and Ajit Pawar when they were in the opposition. “(And) when they joined your party and were washed with ‘Modi washing powder’, they became neat and clean,” the CM said.
Earlier in a post on microblogging site ‘X’ Baghel said, “As I have said earlier, the BJP wants to contest Chhattisgarh elections with the help of agencies like ED, IT, DRI and CBI. Just before the elections, ED has made the most malicious attempt to tarnish my image. This is a political attempt through ED to defame the popular Congress government.”
The CM further contended that in the name of an investigation into Mahadev betting app, “The ED first raided the houses of people who were close to me and now on the basis of the statement of an unknown person it has accused me of taking Rs 508 crore”.
“See the cunningness of ED that after revealing the statement of that person, it has written in a short sentence that the statement is a subject matter of investigation. If no investigation has been done then issuing a press release on the statement of one person not only reflects the intentions of the ED but also reveals the bad intentions of the Central Government,” Baghel said.
“At present, elections are going on in the state. Everything is in the hands of the Election Commission. Apart from the police, CRPF personnel are conducting checks. In such a situation, the question arises of how people have managed to reach Chhattisgarh with such a huge amount of cash. Is there any involvement of central agencies in this too? Has this amount been brought in the chests that have reached (Raipur) by a special plane with ED officers and security agencies?” the CM asked.
Congress workers are ready and the people of Chhattisgarh are with them to fight against agencies like ED and IT, he said. Polling for the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17.